Joe Williams' Blog
A NEW Coalition For Student Civil Rights
So we've been working with a group of folks from around the country, most notably the Rev. Al Sharpton, on trying to push education reform to be more widely embraced as a civil rights issue (for students.) And this morning was our group's first press conference, at the National Press Club.
Regular readers will recall that I was slightly skeptical, after appearing on a panel with Sharpton in Memphis in April, that this thing was going to really go anywhere. Sharpton, you'll recall, talked about the need to abandon past clergy-labor-civil rights coalitions formed years ago which were now essentially keeping kids trapped in crappy schools. (That in fighting to protect adults, we were leaving kids vulnerable.) I was slightly worried because I felt Sharpton was absolutely right, and that the essense of his rightness (that we have essentially allowed ourselves to be blind to reality by very, very tight partnerships with entrenched interests like teachers unions) would chop off the head of this civil rights push before it even got out of the gate.
Here is how I figured it would play out:
1.) Sharpton makes bold comments linking bad education policies with the "coalitions" that were once established to help public schools (but which were now causing them to die a slow death.)
2.) Teachers union president (correctly) interprets Sharpton's comments to mean there is trouble in paradise and that the coalitional gravy train might be coming to the end of the line.
3.) Teachers union president calls Sharpton and complains about living up to a cross-your-heart-hope-to-die-stick-a-needle-in-your-eye blood oath that was made way back when bell-bottom pants were fashionable (the first time) and threatens God-only-knows-what if Sharpton doesn't zip his lips and get with the program.
4.) Sharpton responds by issuing a press release demanding class sizes of no more than 4 students as a basic civil right for every child.
While steps 1-3 inevitably played out, Sharpton didn't even come close to the fourth step. Just the opposite. The reverand actually came on even stronger than he did in Memphis and offered some very blunt comments about why so many of us have allowed our schools to fail so many kids for so long. Straight Talk Express, baby. Keep your eye on this Education Equality Project because it is likely to be like nothing you've ever seen before in this sphere. More later...
Posted by Joe Williams on June 11, 2008 2:00 PM
June 7, 2008
LA Protests Peaceful
There was no reported mayhem on Friday in Los Angeles Unified School District after thousands of teachers picketed/slept late to protest school budget troubles. (I was skeptical, but the threat against crossing a picket line seemed to work.)
Also last week, thousands of Los Angeles charter school supporters protested inequitable treatment for public charter schools. Noted former L.A. School Board President Caprice Young (a DFER board member): "The only way to be heard at the L.A. Unified School District is with a stampede or a lawsuit."
Posted by Joe Williams on June 7, 2008 9:00 AM
June 6, 2008
Mayoral Academy Update in Rhode Island
Per this and this, the Providence Journal editorial board calls for passage of a bill which would allow for "Mayoral Academies" or charter-like schools overseen by municipalities which would be free from innovation-killing red tape. They opine:
It’s not clear whether the Finance Committee will vote out this measure, House bill 7874, a crucial step toward final approval. Citizens who believe it’s time to at least test an alternative approach for providing public education in Rhode Island should contact their legislators and Chairman Steven Costantino, and urge passage of H-7874.
Rhode Island students, particularly poor and minority children, could gain immeasurably from this experiment. Certainly, the results are in on the status quo — and what the state is doing now can hardly be deemed an unqualified success.
Posted by Joe Williams on June 6, 2008 10:48 AM
June 4, 2008
Did Reg Weaver Engage In Age Discrimination?
This seems grievance-worthy no? In the press release from the National Education Association announcing its really, really, really late endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama for president (it was so late it more closely resembles an afterthought than an actual endorsement), union president Weaver refers to his dues-paying teachers as a "seasoned army of political member activists." [Emphasis mine.]
Geezers of the NEA unite!!
If a school superintendent referred to teachers as "seasoned" or "ancient" or "decrepit" wouldn't the union's law firms be billing up the wazoo to take care of the age-discrimination complaints? (Hat tip Antonucci.)
Posted by Joe Williams on June 4, 2008 11:19 PM
UTLA's Snooze Button Protest Against Budget Cuts
More proof that "the system" is absolutely, positively rigged against kids. This story in the L.A. Times is amazing. So teachers are having a protest over budget cuts. Great, they are like every other teacher group in the country in that regard. Those protests are important.
But they are going to do it on student time? And they are going to do it by... sleeping in an extra hour? And leave the kids supervised by aides, even in schools like Locke High School where everybody knows all hell is likely to break loose?
Doing the protest when kids are in school is apparently more convenient for teachers, and heck, an extra hour of sleep aint to shabby either. (Saul Alinsky is rolling over in his grave right now.)
The LA Unified School District went to the Public Employee Relations Board to try to force the teachers to actually teach for the first hour of the day but PERB's responsibility is to make life easier for big people, not students.
Any teacher who actually goes to work on time is going to be threatened and called a scab by thugs like UTLA's A.J. Duffy. I shit you not. Seriously. I'm not making this up. From the news story:
Duffy said he expected as many as 40,000 teachers to participate. "Anyone who doesn't will be crossing a picket line," he said.
Wow. Good for you A.J. A sleep-in for the kids. Love it.
I can hear the chants now:
What do we want? (A snooze button!)
When do we want it? (Now!)
Posted by Joe Williams on June 4, 2008 8:44 PM
More McKee In The Pro-Jo
The other day we blogged about some movement in Rhode Island to allow mayors there to have some flexibility to throw some spunk into the education offered to the public.
Cumberland Mayor Daniel McKee, a Democrat who has been leading the charge on the issue, explains it further in today's Providence Journal. Check out his description of Old Rhode Island versus New Rhode Island:
Continue reading "More McKee In The Pro-Jo"....
Posted by Joe Williams on June 4, 2008 12:10 PM
Kevin Johnson Is Highest Vote-Getter In Sacramento
Kevin Johnson, still the only candidate for office I have ever seen who has a video clip of himself dunking over Hakeem Alajuwon, forced a runoff with incumbent Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo by emerging as the top vote-getter in yesterday's primary election in California's capital city.
Johnson, a friend of DFER, won 47% of the vote while Fargo won 40% of the vote.
As was predicted from the outset, this race was nasty and bizarre at times, including last night when - I'm not making this up - a 30-foot tree branch collapsed and fell on a crowd of Fargo supporters who were sipping margaritas at a Mexican restaurant. (One woman was hospitalized.)
If Johnson doesn't get enough of the absentee votes to push him past 50%, it goes to a run-off in November.
Continue reading "Kevin Johnson Is Highest Vote-Getter In Sacramento"....
Posted by Joe Williams on June 4, 2008 11:21 AM
